G-Fafif

Tsuyoshi Shinjo is the new manager/Big Boss of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Tsuyoshi Shinjo has always been a performer. And the former outfielder lived up to that reputation on Thursday, November 4 when he was introduced as the new manager of the Pacific League's Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Wearing a maroon suit, sunglasses and an unbuttoned white shirt with an outrageously high white collar, Shinjo made it clear from the outset that he intends to inject some new life not only into the Fighters but also into Japanese baseball as a whole. “Don't call me manager, I want to be known as ‘Big Boss,'” Shinjo told a packed press conference in Sapporo, explaining that is what he was called on the Indonesian island of Bali where he spent the last several years. The surprises didn't stop there. After making an entrance that was more reminiscent of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, Shinjo laid out his plans for the struggling club. “I won't aim for a championship from the outset,” Shinjo said. “If the expectations are too high, the players will be overwhelmed. We'll practice day by day at first and build on our experience. Then around September if all goes well, we can say we are going for the championship.” Before Thursday's press conference, Shinjo visited the Fighters new stadium that will open in 2023 and said it's a venue that will “surprise the world.” https://featured.japan-forward.com/sportslook/showtime-in-hokkaido-tsuyoshi-shinjo-aims-to-breathe-new-life-into-the-fighters/https://featured.japan-forward.com/sportslook/showtime-in-hokkaido-tsuyoshi-shinjo-aims-to-breathe-new-life-into-the-fighters/

Lot of ex-Met coaches as well as an ex-acting GM whose tongues might have grown loose in recent days.

Indeed, “I lost” ain't what it used to be. “It makes my stomach turn to think that in our city, that they're actually telling me now, ‘Oh, someone voted in person and they forgot they voted absentee,'” Valentine said. He didn't say who the “they” were telling him about people voting more than once. But finally, around midnight, Valentine announced he lost. “It's time for me to congratulate Caroline for being the next mayor of our city,” he said. Valentine, always the fierce competitor on the field, didn't take losing well. “Someone says maybe I'm supposed to thank the media for all the lousy coverage that they gave us or maybe even compliment (Simmons' team) for the campaign they ran but I can't do that with an open heart and a clear mind, so I'm just going to say the campaign is over,” he said. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-bobby-valentine-mayoral-race-stamford-20211103-qw6dwmpdgrehtez7lohvwkt6lq-story.htmlhttps://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-bobby-valentine-mayoral-race-stamford-20211103-qw6dwmpdgrehtez7lohvwkt6lq-story.html

No rat. No raccoon. But there is a Puma. The tension had been building for at least 2 ½ weeks between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil when it reached a boiling point on May 7 in the tunnel that connects the Mets dugout to the clubhouse at Citi Field. Details weren't divulged by the players involved or organization at the time, but The Post has learned the specifics of what transpired in the “Rat/Raccoon” altercation from that night. The shortstop Lindor, frustrated by the second baseman's latest positioning gaffe and their ensuing argument, according to a club source, grabbed McNeil by the throat and pinned him against a wall in the tunnel. Before the situation could escalate, Mets players hearing the commotion arrived to break it up. After the Mets beat Arizona 5-4 in a walk-off, neither Lindor nor McNeil would acknowledge the altercation other than to say an animal had been spotted in the tunnel and the two players were arguing over whether it was a rat or raccoon, prompting Mets players to the scene. https://nypost.com/2021/11/03/francisco-lindor-grabbed-jeff-mcneil-by-throat-during-mets-spat/https://nypost.com/2021/11/03/francisco-lindor-grabbed-jeff-mcneil-by-throat-during-mets-spat/

Buster Posey leaves heart and gear in San Francisco.

Jorge Soler's powerful case for MVP is verified with the Willie Mays trophy.

Nice going d'Arnaud & co.

Soler flare: 446 feet. ATL up three after three.

Election Night Lineups.

The fuzzy Zoom call pix are an unwitting artifact of these times, lending them a certain emotional resonance.

MRIs — not always helpful. Over the past two seasons, deGrom has missed time due to neck, lat, back, shoulder, forearm and elbow issues, none of them proving overly serious until his final start of the first half against the Brewers. In the seventh inning of that game, deGrom experienced an unusual bit of soreness in his right forearm. At first, he thought little of it. But when the Mets resumed their season a week later in Pittsburgh, deGrom was still feeling discomfort. The club scheduled him for what became the first of several MRIs. Although the MRI revealed nothing more than a mild forearm strain, deGrom's arm discomfort spread from his forearm to elbow in the ensuing days. He believes now that the positioning of his arm in that MRI tube -- he laid on his stomach with his elbow raised above him for nearly an hour -- exacerbated the issue. “I honestly think that's what aggravated it,” he said. DeGrom updates DiComo: https://www.mlb.com/news/jacob-degrom-talks-2021-season-ending-injuryhttps://www.mlb.com/news/jacob-degrom-talks-2021-season-ending-injury

I find the back page featuring of players in non-Mets garb, especially on flimsy pretenses, antithetical to the spirit of TCD. Charlie Morton and Nolan Arenado fairly scream “Slow news day!” Invoking Joe McEwing to vouch for McCann is a stretch worthy of Keith Hernandez on a throw in the dirt.

Kendall Graveman batted in the top of the ninth n order to stay in and complete the non-save save (four-run lead). He looked at a three-two strike to complete the final scheduled pitcher's AB of this World Series (and maybe forever). Zack Greinke remains available off the bench for Houston after the 9-5 Astros win.

Astros take a 7-5 lead in the fifth with the bottom of their lineup getting it done.

Zack Greinke just singled as a pinch-hitter, thereby securing my Hall of Fame vote.

Duvall grand slam in the first nullified by two pair of Astro runs in the second and third — then Freeman unties it with a no-doubter in the bottom of the third. The teams are 10 runs apiece from replicating the Philly-Toronto 15-14 headspinner of yore.

And the pitcher bats ninth here, too. [tweet] [/tweet]

National League lineup. Savor it.

Jerry Remy, infielder and NESN icon, a little short of his 69th birthday, from cancer. https://www.wcvb.com/article/jerry-remy-obituary-red-sox-hall-of-famer/37857224https://www.wcvb.com/article/jerry-remy-obituary-red-sox-hall-of-famer/37857224

ATL one win away.

Ross Jones, present at the creation of the best of Mets eras. “The Mets were in an exciting place when I got traded to the team before the '84 season. Davey Johnson was just named manager and a new era was taking off. It was great to be there when the turnaround of the franchise was happening. So many great young players coming along blended with some special veterans. The team was becoming good after many years of not being relevant. It was a great time to be a Met.” https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/

Jim Gosger: still alive. You had a lot of great moments on the Red Sox and played on some other teams too, including the 1969 and 1973 Mets. Can you talk about that experience? Well, I was disappointed that I didn't get a World Series ring in '69. I was only there for about five weeks, but damn, I played good defensively for them. I remember going back for a reunion maybe about five years ago and Cleon Jones came up to me and said, “Goose, can you still run?” I said, “Get out of here, you're crazy.” We were laughing. He said he used to love it because after the seventh inning ended, I would be out there defensively. He said that I could really go get them. But it hurt me that I didn't get an invitation to the [50th Anniversary] reunion. I wanted to ask about that. I have read some articles saying not only that you never got a World Series ring for 1969, and not only did they not invite you to the reunion, but they put you in the video tribute for the players who passed away. I don't mean to bring up negative memories, but can you talk about that? Well at the end of the season, Gil [Hodges] came up to me and said they were going to take me off the roster because they needed an extra pitcher. I said, “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.” It was a big thrill for me to be there when we clinched, the whole thing was just a thrill for a kid to be a part of. But you know, the thing that really hurt was that when the Series was over, I got a check in the mail for $100. That's it. I thought I'd get a ring. I was there for five weeks ad I helped them out a lot defensively. I'll be truthful, when I got that $100 check, I was hot. To this day, I have people coming to me saying, “Jim, we got to get a hold of someone to get you that ring.” I don't know, I think it's a done deal. You know, I was heartbroken. I got the National League Championship ring in 1973, because I was there for six months. But that '69 ring would be unbelievable. That's really sad. You weren't a rookie callup in '69. You were a veteran by then and helped them out. It's nice to see people taking up your cause though. I think it would be great if the Mets new ownership would do something to help. You know, the Mets did a thing where they gave season ticket holders a replica ring and I have these good friends from New York. I had just come back from a trip to Lansing and my wife told me I had a package and didn't know what it was. Well my friends from New York had sent me their duplicate ring. When I opened it up, I saw the ring and started crying. I thought, “My God, I got my ring!” But then I made a call and learned it was just a glass replica. It was disappointing, but it made me feel really good that somebody would think that much of me to take the time to send that to me. The real one, that had one big diamond right in the middle and was beautiful. It fit the whole knuckle. The ring I got in '73 is nice. It has diamond chips in it and it has never left my finger. But the '69 ring is a treasure. The thing that hurt the most was that they gave rings to all the coaches and managers in the minor leagues. They gave rings to office personnel. But there were about two or three players who were on the team and never got the ring. That hurt me more than anything. https://ballnine.com/2020/12/03/the-hustler-jim-gosger/https://ballnine.com/2020/12/03/the-hustler-jim-gosger/ G-Fafif Oct 30 2021 07:16 PM Re: Brogna Boys 2021 Ross Jones, present at the creation of the best of Mets eras. “The Mets were in an exciting place when I got traded to the team before the '84 season. Davey Johnson was just named manager and a new era was taking off. It was great to be there when the turnaround of the franchise was happening. So many great young players coming along blended with some special veterans. The team was becoming good after many years of not being relevant. It was a great time to be a Met.” https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/ G-Fafif Nov 06 2021 08:47 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021 The family of first Met-cultivated All-Star Ron Hunt seeks help for their dad. “I'll ask for forgiveness later. This is coming from me,” the Wentzville, Mo., resident said this week. “This is just me wanting my dad to have a quality of life for what he has left.” Hunt's dad is someone well-known to older Mets fans: fan favorite Ron Hunt, the first Met to start an All-Star Game, the 1964 Midsummer Classic, held at Shea Stadium of all places. As the Hunt family shared with The Post back in 2018, Ron is battling Parkinson's disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that has taken its toll on him. Now 80, “Ron has good days and bad days, but every three days, he takes a good, nice fall,” his daughter said. “His kneecaps are destroyed. His body is destroyed.” There is a way to help him, though, Tracy Hunt believes, which is why she finds herself asking her dad's many admirers for help. The Hunt family, with the help of family friend Frank Santarpia, has set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of completing an experimental protocol for Parkinson's that Ron began earlier this year. Such publicity won't play well with the stoic Ron Hunt, who takes great pride in the 243 times he got hit by a pitch, fourth all-time in modern baseball, including the single-season record of 50 in 1971 with the Expos. “This is me. This is my last resort,” Tracy Hunt said. “I don't have another bag of money.” Ken Davidoff, who's been chronicling Hunt's travails, picks up the story. https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/ron-hunts-daughter-raising-money-for-ex-mets-treatment/https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/ron-hunts-daughter-raising-money-for-ex-mets-treatment/ TransMonk Nov 08 2021 08:52 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021 https://twitter.com/PerezEd/status/1457734130788192256 G-Fafif Nov 10 2021 07:14 PM Re: Brogna Boys 2021 https://twitter.com/craigminervini/status/1458616407478910981 G-Fafif Dec 22 2021 06:29 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021 https://twitter.com/ft_athletics/status/1471923439502073857 Edgy MD Dec 22 2021 08:55 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021 That's … some kind of promo shot they're using for Jeff.